A review by gmrickel
Arabella of Mars by David D. Levine

2.0

2 stars feels generous. Plenty of racist slangs throughout the book, "due to colonial setting." I had hope at the beginning that the main character would address them (she even started to), but eventually she cowers to "British sensibilities" (white fragility). When her gender is revealed she loses the respect of those around her. Why not have the other characters realize that gender isn't tied to ability? Ugh! Also, there are only heterosexual people in this book. Not just as a default, but it is specifically brought to our attention when the main character chides herself on mooning over the captain when "no man would." The idea for the book was cool, but that is about it. I contemplated not finishing the book several times, but as I had originally thought it would make a good Vaginal Fantasy club pick I felt obligated to finish it and record my thoughts. Almost forgot- the romance. What romance?! Terribly done! Would have been better had the book just been about a sister saving her brother. No need to force a romance! Maybe I need to change my rating to 1 star.